Press + Blend Raw Foods and Juice Bar in Woodstock, NY

A juice bar/café in Woodstock offers a delicious way to take your vitamins

By Melissa Esposito

While bottled juices are often billed as all-natural or fresh-squeezed, the fact remains that most fruits and vegetables begin decreasing in nutrient content immediately after being juiced. Anthony Spadaro, who opened Press + Blend, an organic café and raw-foods/juice bar in Woodstock last summer, says he has the answer to this problem: the Norwalk Juicer. Unlike other juice machines, the Norwalk chops produce into a pulp, then squeezes it with a hydraulic press to create beverages that retain more healthful nutrients and infection-fighting enzymes.

The Norwalk is sometimes dubbed a “cold-press” juicer because “no friction, heat, or oxidation occurs in the extraction process,” says Spadaro. “Heat and oxidation destroy vital nutrients and cause the juice to spoil.” Plus, because there’s no pulp in your glass, the body digests the juice more quickly — within about 15-20 minutes — sparing more energy for detoxifying and cleansing.

Spadaro says his customers consistently say they feel healthier after incorporating these juices and raw foods into their diets. Although the Norwalk is about four times more labor-intensive than other juicers, he says it’s worth the effort. “We hate this machine, but love the results,” he quips.

Of course, all this healthy living is a pricey pursuit. Sixteen-ounce juices run from $8 to $10 and include such ingredients as celery, kale, Himalayan salt, and spirulina (a nutritional supplement; we didn’t know, either). Also popular are the 16-ounce smoothies — the best-selling $11 Berry Bliss contains acai, strawberry, blueberry, coconut, coconut water, Peruvian maca, and one date — although customers are welcome to create their own concoctions. Spadaro says his mostly well-heeled clientele seems happy to spend on quality organic ingredients. “The reception has been better than I expected,” he says. Apparently so — he’s hard at work opening another branch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Open seven days a week, Press + Blend also offers raw savories, desserts, and chocolates, plus coffees, teas, and dehydrated snacks, such as kale chips. Visit www.pressandblend.com for more information.